The present invention relates to an airbag device, which is deployed to protect an occupant in the event of vehicle collision, and also relates to an instrument panel disposed in a front portion of a vehicle cabin.
Airbag devices have been employed in a variety of ways, e.g. driver airbag devices, front-passenger airbag devices, rear-passenger airbag devices, and side-impact airbag devices, in motor vehicles to protect vehicle occupants in the event of vehicle collision. An airbag device generally comprises an airbag, a retainer, an inflator, and the like. The airbag is accommodated in the folded state. The retainer is used for fixing the end of the airbag to a vehicle body. The inflator is used for generating a gas for inflating and deploying the airbag.
A front-passenger airbag device has a large-size airbag, as compared to the other types of the airbag devices, and is deployed from an instrument panel to the front of a vehicle occupant. In this type of the airbag device, the retainer is fixed to a structural beam made of a steel member of the vehicle body. The entire airbag device is housed behind the instrument panel made of resin and is located at a front portion of the vehicle cabin. At a portion of the instrument panel corresponding to the position of the airbag device, a cover having a tear line is disposed. The tear line of the cover is broken by the airbag which starts to deploy, so that the airbag can be deployed. Impact at the break of the tear line is received by the structural beam made of steel having high strength.
However, the aforementioned conventional airbag device has following problems.
The size of the airbag device is limited because the airbag device should be installed in a small space between the structural beam of the vehicle body and the instrument panel. The freedom of design is further decreased because the retainer should be fixed to the structural beam made of steel for withstanding the impact at the break of the tear line.
A configuration of a bracket disposed between the structural beam and the retainer and a configuration of the cover fitted to an opening of the instrument panel are complex. The complex configuration of the retainer constrains the dimension of a mounting portion of the airbag, so that the mounting portion of the airbag to the retainer should be reinforced.
Due to the above problems, the productivity is reduced.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an airbag device, wherein design of the airbag and installation to the vehicle can be made relatively freely.
Another object of the invention is to provide an airbag device as stated above, which can be manufactured at a low cost.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an airbag device as stated above, wherein an airbag can be smoothly deployed in a shorter period of time and which can save labor for folding works.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.
To solve the aforementioned problems, in the first aspect of the present invention, an airbag device for deploying an airbag in front of an occupant, comprises an airbag which is folded, an inflator for generating a gas for deploy the airbag, and a retainer for fixing the end of the airbag to a vehicle. The retainer has an elongated configuration extending in the right-left directions of the occupant.
The airbag device structured as mentioned above can be installed in a thin narrow space of a vehicle body member, i.e. a structural beam, or an instrument panel. Since a lid for covering the airbag device can be made with a small width, the lid may not have a tear line and may be an integral construction of a swing type. Therefore, it is not required to consider the impact strength for breaking the tear line, so that the airbag device is not necessarily fixed to a structural beam made of steel and can be fixed to an instrument panel made of resin. Accordingly, the design can be made relatively free, and the manufacturing cost is decreased.
In an airbag device of the second aspect of the present invention, an airbag device for deploying an airbag in front of an occupant comprises an airbag which is folded, an inflator for generating a gas for deploy the airbag, and a retainer for fixing the end of the airbag to a vehicle. The width in the right-left directions of a face or front surface confronting the occupant during the deployment is substantially the same as the width of the end or rear end of the airbag fixed to the retainer.
In a conventional front-passenger airbag device, the width of a mounting portion of the airbag to a retainer is normally xc2xd through ⅓ of the width of a front surface of the airbag, so that the load applied to the mounting portion per unit length is large, for example, 30 kgf/cm (294 N/cm). As compared to this conventional example, the load during the deployment in the airbag of the present invention should be decreased because the width of the mounting portion of the airbag to the retainer is substantially the same as the width of the front surface of the airbag. Accordingly, the strength of the mounting portion of the airbag is not required so high, thereby saving and shortening the material and the processing thereof. Alternatively, the strength of the structure for fixing the retainer is not required so high, thereby allowing the installation of the airbag device to the instrument panel.
In the third aspect of the present invention, an airbag device for deploying an airbag in front of an occupant comprises an airbag which is folded, an inflator for generating a gas for deploy the airbag, and a retainer for fixing the end of the airbag to a vehicle. The airbag is folded without substantially folding in the width direction.
Since the folding of the airbag is made in one dimension (only in the up-down directions), the deployment of the airbag can be achieved smoothly in a short period of time. In addition, it can save labor for folding works.
In the fourth aspect of the present invention, an airbag device comprises an airbag which is folded, an inflator for generating a gas for deploy the airbag, and a retainer for fixing the end of the airbag to a vehicle. The retainer has an elongated configuration extending in the width direction of the airbag, and the inflator has an elongated and flexible body.
Since the inflator can be suitably bent to fit into the retainer, it can further increase the freedom of design.
An airbag device of the fourth aspect of the present invention comprises an airbag which is folded, an inflator for generating gas for deploy the airbag, and a retainer for fixing the end of the airbag to a vehicle. The retainer further includes a chamber in which a gas generated from the inflator stays once, and a mechanism for regulating the gas flow to be supplied from the chamber to the inside of the airbag.
By this chamber, the deployment configuration and the deployment time of the airbag can be controlled. Further, the temperature of the gas supplied into the airbag can be lowered e.g. from 2000 to 450xc2x0 C.
In the sixth aspect of the present invention, an airbag device for deploying an airbag in front of a front passenger seat of a motor vehicle, comprises an airbag which is folded, an inflator for generating a gas for deploy the airbag, and a retainer for fixing the end of the airbag to the motor vehicle. The retainer is accommodated in a groove which is formed in an instrument panel of the motor vehicle to extend in the right-left direction of the motor vehicle.
The modularization, i.e. previous assembly, of the instrument panel and the airbag device can be achieved, thereby facilitating the installation of the airbag device to the vehicle body.
In the airbag device of the present invention, a lid which is opened without tearing (not to be torn) during the deployment of the airbag can be disposed at the groove of the instrument panel.
Since the lid is opened without tearing during the deployment of the airbag, there is no need to break a tear line. Therefore, it is not required to consider the impact strength at the break of the tear line, thereby allowing the mounting structure to the vehicle body to have reduced strength. Because the width in the up-down directions of the lid can be small (e.g. width 2.5-4 cm, length 45-55 cm), there is little possibility of injuring the occupant by the swinging operation of the lid.
The inflator of the present invention generates the gas for inflating the airbag, which has an elongated and flexible body.
The inflator can be applied to an elongated airbag module, thereby improving the installation to the vehicle body.
An instrument panel of the present invention is disposed in a front portion of a vehicle cabin of a motor vehicle, and includes a groove for accommodating an airbag module which is disposed in front of a front passenger seat to extend in the right-left directions of the motor vehicle.
In the instrument panel of the present invention, a lid which is opened without tearing (not to be torn) during the deployment of the airbag can be disposed at the aforementioned groove of the instrument panel.